UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA     AGRICULTURAL    EXPERIMENT   STATION 

BENJ.    IDE    WHEELER,    President 
THOMAS    FORSYTH    HUNT,    Dean  an  d  Director 
BERKELEY  H.    E.   VAN    NORMAN,   Vice-Director    and    Dean 

University  Farm  School 


COLLEGE   OF  AGRICULTURE 


CIRCULAR  No.  188 
December,  1917 

LAMBING    SHEDS 

BY 

E.  F.  MILLER  and  G.  E.  FERMERY 


Lambing    barn,    80x96,    constructed    of    corrugated    iron. 
Stanford  Vina  Ranch,  Vina,  Cal. 


Capacity,    500    ewes. 


A  great  many  lambs  are  annually  lost  at  lambing  time  on  the 
range  due  to  exposure  during  storms  or  bad  weather.  With  the 
present  world  shortage  of  food  and  material  for  clothing,  it  behooves 
the  sheepmen  to  raise  every  lamb  possible.  One  sheepman  has  said, 
"With  lambs  netting  around  $5  per  head  it  is  time  the  sheepman 
should  arrange  to  save  every  possible  lamb  or  let  someone  in  the 
business  who  will." 

The  desirability  of  lambing  sheds  is  gradually  being  recognized 
by   many   sheepmen   who   formerly   thought   them   impractical.       In 


Tehama  County  the  manager  of  one  extensive  ranch  where  lambing 
barns  have  been  used  for  a  number  of  years,  estimated  that  40  to  50 
per  cent  of  his  losses  are  eliminated  by  the  use  of  barns.  Another 
sheepman  who  formerly  was  prejudiced  against  the  use  of  sheds, 
thinking  it  unwise  to  go  among  the  flock  and  disturb  the  ewes, 
approves  of  the  shed  very  highly  after  using  it  one  year.  His  experi- 
ence has  been  that  after  working  among  the  sheep  a  few  days  they 
would  quiet  down,  and  when  going  among  them  even  with  a  lantern 
at  night  they  would  hardly  get  out  of  the  way.  He  seldom  found  it 
necessary  to  catch  a  ewe,  but  when  she  had  dropped  a  lamb  he  would 
carry  the  lamb  to  a  small  pen  by  means  of  a  hook  and  the  ewe  would 
follow. 

CAUSES  OF  LOSSES  AT  LAMBING  TIME 

There  are  possibly  three  causes  of  loss  in  lambing  range  bands. 
First,  storms  or  wet  weather ;  Second,  scarcity  of  feed ;  and  third, 
varmints,  chiefly  coyotes.  Storms  cause  by  far  the  heaviest  loss,  as 
quite  frequently  a  two-  or  three-day  storm  may  be  responsible  for 
the  death  of  10  to  15  per  cent  of  the  lambs  in  a  band  when  not  protected. 
Oftentimes,  sheepmen  try  to  avoid  storms  by  lambing  late  in  the 
season,  but  even  then  the  weather  is  uncertain.  Newly  born  lambs 
need  protection  the  first  twenty-four  hours.  After  that  they  can 
stand  a  great  deal  of  exposure. 

The  second  cause,  scarcity  of  feed,  can  usually  be  controlled.  It 
may  seem  costly  to  supply  hay,  but  at  present  prices  of  lambs  it  is 
well  warranted  when  grass  is  scarce.  When  ewes  are  poorly  nourished 
they  have  little  or  no  milk,  and  oftentimes  will  not  claim  their  lambs. 
Again,  when  the  milk  flow  is  scant,  the  lambs  will  not  do  well,  and 
may  die  for  want  of  nourishment. 

Coyotes  are  very  bad  in  some  sections,  getting  many  lambs  out 
in  the  open.  By  the  use  of  sheds  this  loss  might  be  partly  eliminated, 
although  it  is  not  well  to  confine  young  lambs  too  much.  By  putting 
out  lanterns,  building  fires,  and  shooting  from  time  to  time  during 
the  night,  they  may  be  kept  off  to  some  extent.  The  mere  fact  of 
using  sheds  will  result  in  more  careful  attention  to  the  flock  in  general. 

WHERE    SHEDS    ARE    DESIRABLE 

The  practicability  of  sheds  is  largely  dependent  on  prevailing 
conditions.  Where  lambing  is  done  in  level  country  with  no  natural 
protection,  lambing  sheds  are  highly  desirable.  Grass  is  usually 
abundant  in  this  case,  and  hay  can  also  be  easily  hauled  in.      The 


shed  is  a  means  of  protecting  the  sheep  from  rain  and  storm,  and 
while  it  may  not  be  used  every  day,  it  is  a  means  of  saving  lambs  in 
time  of  a  storm.  On  the  other  hand,  when  sheep  are  lambed  in  the 
foothills  where  natural  protection  is  afforded  and  where  it  is  difficult 
to  get  hay  or  feed  to  the  shed,  it  may  be  inadvisable  to  construct  a 
complete  shed,  but  even  in  this  case  some  temporary  shelter  would 
be  helpful. 

There  is  a  third  type  of  lambing  ground  that  is  not  adapted  to 
the  use  of  sheds,  viz.,  in  the  mountains  where  grass  is  scarce  and 
drop  bands  travel  probably  one-half  mile  a  day  to  get  feed  and 
where  pack  mules  are  the  common  means  of  transportation.  In  these 
sections  lambing  is  usually  late  in  the  season,  April  and  May,  and 
the  hills  and  ravines  afford  some  natural  protection,  and  a  fair  per- 
centage of  lambs  is  realized. 

LOCATION 

Drainage  is  of  prime  importance,  and  a  lambing  shed  should  be 
located  on  high  sloping  ground,  preferably  sandy  soil.  This  cannot 
be  over-emphasized  in  California  where  heavy  rains  are  common 
during  the  winter  and  spring,  and  a  muddy  corral  is  one  of  the 
greatest  objections  to  corralling  sheep  at  lambing  time.  Sheep  are 
more  severely  affected  by  being  confined  in  muddy  corrals  than  other 
stock,  and  they  do  not  thrive  under  such  conditions.  Good  grazing 
is  necessary  in  the  vicinity  of  the  shed  as  sheep  require  green  feed 
at  lambing  time  to  supply  milk  for  the  lambs.  Furthermore,  to  feed 
grain  or  hay  exclusively  would  prove  very  costly.  Fresh  water 
should  be  near  at  hand,  although  where  rains  are  abundant  water  is 
usually  available  in  sloughs  or  draws,  and  when  getting  green  grass, 
sheep  do  not  require  much  water.  It  is  further  quite  desirable  to 
have  the  shed  sheltered  by  means  of  trees  as  a  wind-break.  This 
would  add  largely  to  the  comfort  of  the  sheep,  but  is  not  always 
possible. 

Lastly,  the  location  must  be  accessible  with  team  and  wagon  so 
as  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  men  and  shed  in  general. 

TYPES    OF   SHELTER    FOR    LAMBING 

(■a)   Lambing  barn. 

(b)  Lambing  shed  with  open  front. 

(c)  Movable  panels  and  canvas  roofing. 

(d)  Sheltered  lambing  pens  and  corral. 

(e)  Brush  corral. 


The  central  barn  offers  certain  advantages  as  compared  with  the 
open  shed. 

1.  The   lambing  barn  is  especially  adapted  to  valley   conditions 
where  hay  is  fed  at  lambing  time. 

2.  It  offers  more  complete  shelter,  being  enclosed  on  all  four  sides. 

3.  Time  and  labor  required  to  feed  and  care  for  the  ewes  and 
lambs  are  less,  as  the  sheep  are  in  a  more  compact  body. 

4.  Durability  greater,  as  such  a  barn  is  usually  more  substantially 


*   • 


Fig.  1. — Lambing  barn,  54  x  144,  used  by  Spencer  Ranch  Co.,  Knights  Landing, 
California.  This  company  lambs  4000  ewes  on  alfalfa  hay  by  the  use  of  two 
barns  of  this  type. 


built  than  a  shed.      Heavy  winds  and  driving  rains  are  more  easily 
withstood  in  a  barn  than  a  shed. 

5.  Feed  storage  and  general  arrangement  are  very  practical.  In 
a  central  barn  the  feed  may  be  more  conveniently  stored  than  in  a 
shed  and  the  pens  may  be  more  conveniently  arranged. 

6.  May  be  more  serviceable :  A  central  barn  can  oftentimes  be 
more  effectively  arranged  for  a  shearing  shed  by  a  few  minor  changes. 
As  the  lambing  shed  or  barn  is  often  used  later  in  the  season  for 
shearing,  it  is  desirable  to  have  the  pens  so  arranged  as  to  make  this 
change  readily. 


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GENERAL   DESCRIPTION    OF   LAMBING    BARN 

This  low-type  gable-roof  barn  suitable  for  mild  climate  has  been 
designed  to  provide  a  large  sheltered  area  at  a  small  cost.  The 
barn  is  54  feet  wide  and  144  feet  long,  with  a  clearance  of  6  feet  at 
the  eaves  and  20  feet  6  inches  at  the  peak,  and  will  house  1000  head 
of  sheep.  The  sides  are  boarded  up  only  four  feet,  thus  allowing  a 
continuous  opening  of  two  feet  between  studs  for  light  and  ventila- 
tion. Anyone  working  in  the  barn  can  also  readily  see  when  sheep 
are  approaching  the  barn  and  when  assistance  is  needed  in  penning 


Detail  of  hay  rack. 


same.  The  siding  consists  of  plain  1  x  12  inch  pine  boards  laid 
vertically  without  battens.  At  each  end  of  the  barn  a  12  x  14  foot 
rolling  door  is  provided  and  the  hay  is  fed  by  driving  through  the 
barn  with  a  team  and  wagon.  This  is  usually  done  during  the  day 
when  the  sheep  are  in  the  yards. 


GROUND   PLAN 

A  continuous  feed  rack  running  lengthwise  through  the  center  of 
the  barn  divides  the  barn  into  two  compartments.  As  only  one  side 
of  the  barn  is  used  in  driving  through  with  a  team,  the  other  side 


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may  be  partitioned  into  suitable  pens.  The  feed  rack  is  three  feet 
high,  six  feet  six  inches  wide  at  the  top  and  four  feet  six  inches  wide 
at  the  bottom.  A  strip  of  32-inch  wire  netting  is  stretched  through 
the  center  of  the  rack  to  force  the  hay  toward  either  side  (Pig.  3). 

There  are  thirty-six  4x4  foot  lambing  pens  or  "jails"  along  the 
wall  on  each  side  of  the  barn  with  a  four-foot  gate  swinging  out  into 
a  three-foot  alley.  These  gates  when  open  block  the  alley  which 
facilitates  putting  a  ewe  and  her  lamb  into  a  small  pen.  A  twelve- 
foot  concrete  water  trough  with  automatic  level  control  is  located 
on  each  side  of  the  barn.  The  small  pens  are  not  provided  with  water 
although  a  continuous  trough  may  be  installed  at  the  rear  of  the  pens. 

YARDS   AND   CORRALS 

Suitable  yards  should  be  provided  at  each  end  of  the  barn  for 
holding  the  sheep.  A  special  entrance  should  be  arranged  leading 
up  to  the  three-foot  alley  to  facilitate  penning  a  ewe  and  her  lamb. 
Board  fencing  is  usually  preferable  to  wire  fencing  as  it  is  more  rigid 
and  stands  wear  better.  The  fence  should  be  3y2  feet  high,  the  base 
board  set  on  the  ground  and  the  next  two  boards  spaced  rather  close 
together  to  prevent  young  lambs  from  crawling  out  and  becoming 
separated  from  their  mothers.  A  twelve  or  fourteen-foot  gate  is 
desirable  at  the  entrance  to  avoid  crowding. 

LAMBING   SHED   WITH    OPEN    FRONT 

In  California  where  the  winters  are  mild  the  open  shed  is  perhaps 
the  most  common  form  of  shelter  used  for  sheep.  Sheep  are  par- 
ticularly adapted  to  the  open  outdoor  life  and  can  stand  considerable 
severe  weather. 

ADVANTAGES   OF  THE   OPEN   SHED   AS   COMPARED   WITH    LAMBING    BARN 

1.  Sheep  have  more  freedom  and  liberty.  The  shed  being  open 
on  one  side  allows  the  sheep  to  run  in  and  out  at  will.  Range  sheep 
usually  do  better  when  not  confined  too  closely. 

2.  Construction  simple :  Building  a  barn  requires  more  skill  and 
experience  than  putting  up  a  shed.  A  barn  requires  a  permanent 
foundation,  door  fittings  are  somewhat  difficult,  and  more  detail  plan- 
ning as  to  material  is  required. 

3.  Ventilation  better  in  a  shed :  The  shed  being  open  on  one  side 
admits  an  abundance  of  air,  while  the  closed  barn  is  not  always  well 
ventilated.  The  importance  of  pure,  fresh  air  cannot  be  over- 
emphasized as  sheep  are  often  confined  in  large  numbers  and  the  air 
readily  becomes  foul. 


4.  First  cost  is  lower :  Lambing  having  generally  been  done  in 
the  open  without  artificial  shelter,  the  average  sheepman  is  reluctant 
about  putting  up  expensive  structures  for  this  purpose.  The  central 
barn  is  usually  more  complete  and  better  equipped,  which  all  adds 
to  the  cost.  The  open  shed,  on  the  other  hand,  may  be  cheaply  con- 
structed out  of  rough  lumber. 

5.  Open  shed  most  popular :  On  the  majority  of  sheep  ranges  this 
type  of  shelter  is  commonly  found  and  seems  admirably  adapted. 


Fig.  5. — Lambing  shed  with  open  front,  used  by  the  G.  W.  Mills  Estate, 
Slough  House,  Cal.  The  shed  is  located  on  a  hillside  and  the  yards  are  well 
drained. 


DESCRIPTION   OF   LAMBING   SHED 

The  shed  is  so  planned  as  to  give  maximum  protection  from  wind 
and  rain.  The  main  part  of  the  shed  is  240  feet  long  and  20  feet 
deep,  running  north  and  south,  as  the  wind  and  rain  storms  in 
central  California  are  commonly  from  the  northeast  and  southwest. 
(This  depends  upon  locality.)  A  wing  extends  on  the  south  end, 
thirty  feet  or  any  length  desired,  and  should  be  equipped  with  the 
small  lambing  pens  or  "jails."  A  similar  wing  may  be  added  on 
the  north  end  if  required.  The  shed  is  six  feet  high  in  the  back  and 
eight  feet  high  in  front,  thus  allowing  maximum  shelter,  and  sufficient 


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room  overhead  to  work  conveniently.  This  also  permits  of  cleaning 
out  under  the  shed  with  team  and  scraper  after  the  lambing  season. 
The  rear  of  the  shed  is  equipped  with  ten-foot  doors  every  forty  feet. 
The  posts  or  supports  should  be  bevelled  off  for  2y2  feet  above  the 
ground  so  as  to  prevent  any  sharp  corners  that  might  injure  the 
sheep. 

The  shed  may  be  readily  partitioned  into  pens  of  ten  or  twenty 
feet  square  with  ten  or  twenty-foot  panels.      It  can  be  subdivided 


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Cross-section  of  lambing  shed. 


in  this  way  as  required,  and  doors  are  provided  in  the  back  for  letting 
the  ewes  and  lambs  out  and  separating  them  from  the  main  band. 
The  "jails"  are  properly  3x4  feet,  and  equipped  with  a  self-locking 
door  (Fig.  8).  Occasionally  it  is  necessary  to  supply  additional 
"jails"  and  this  can  be  done  by  means  of  a  small  three-foot  panel, 
partitioning  a  3  x  4  foot  pen  and  making  two  pens  2x3  feet.  The 
latter  is  especial^  convenient  when  forcing  a  ewe  to  adopt  a  strange 
lamb. 


MOVABLE    LAMBING    PENS 


When  only  temporary  shelter  is  adapted,  the  lambing  pen  illus- 
trated in  figure  9  is  very  satisfactory  wherever  it  has  been  tried.  It 
is  very  simple  and  may  be  readily  moved  about  from  place  to  place 
by  one  man  taking  hold  at  each  corner. 


12 


The  pen  consists  of  four  shake  panels  sixteen  feet  long  and  three 
feet  high  which  are  set  up  and  fastened  at  the  corners  by  means  of 
a  piece  of  wood   (self-locking).      Baling  wire  is  perhaps  most  corn- 


Fig.  8. — Typical  lambing  "jail"  with  self -locking  door. 


monly  used  for  this  purpose.  A  2  x  2  foot  ridgepole  is  supported 
in  the  center  of  the  pen  by  means  of  1  x  6  braced  at  the  ends  and  a 
canvas  16  x  20  foot  thrown  over  the  top  which  may  be  tied  down  to 
the  sides  of  the  pen. 

The  panels  alone  serve  as  a  wind  break,  and  are  generally  used 


13 


without  the  canvas  cover,  but  in  case  of  a  storm  the  canvas  roof  can 
be  readily  set  up,  and  furnishes  a  very  satisfactory  shelter.  These 
pens  are  very  handy  and  may  be  readily  transported,  which  is  an 
important  factor. 

SHELTERED    LAMBING    PENS   AND    CORRALS 

Another  type  of  shelter  for  lambing  is  an  ordinary  corral  equipped 
with  sheltered  "jails/'      Such  a  corral  should  be  placed,  if  possible, 


Fig.   9. — Movable  lambing  pen   16x16   feet.     Very   handy   and   extensively   used 

by  sheepmen. 

on  the  leeward  side  of  a  grove  of  trees  for  protection  from  the  wind. 
In  addition  to  the  "jails,"  pens  made  of  sixteen-foot  pine  shake 
panels  are  very  handy  in  which  to  place  the  stronger  lambs  and  ewes. 
Again  the  corral  may  become  very  muddy  and  these  pens  made  of 
sixteen-foot  panels  may  be  moved  from  day  to  day  as  needed.  The 
ground  should  be  sloping  to  insure  good  drainage. 


BRUSH   CORRAL 


While  this  means  of  protection  may  seem  crude,  the  party  using 
the  corral  shown  in  figure  12  claims  it  is  very  satisfactory  and  the 
timber  affords  most  perfect  shelter.      The  corral  fence  is  made  by 


14 


piling  up  brush  and  putting  in  a  gate  for  an  entrance.  It  is  located 
on  a  heavily  timbered  hillside  and  covers  a  large  area.  The  shepherd 
is  in  a  position  to  give  the  lambing  ewes  special  attention,  and  the 
young  lambs  dropped  during  the  night  are  held  back  the  next  morning 
and  added  to  the  lamb  band. 

HANDLING    THE    EWES    AT    LAMBING    TIME 

When  using  a  barn  or  shed  and  two  or  three  bands  are  to  be 
lambed,  it  is  usually  desirable  to  "bag"  the  ewes,  that  is,  taking  out 
all  those  that  are  advanced  in  gestation.      This  is  best  done  by  pen- 

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Fig.  10. — Perspective  drawing  of  movable  lambing  pen. 


ning  up  the  sheep  and  inspecting  the  ewes,  and  any  whose  udders 
are  beginning  to  fill  are  given  a  chalk  mark.  The  entire  band  is 
then  run  through  a  chute  and  the  marked  ewes  separated  from  the 
rest.  This  is  done  every  week  or  as  often  as  necessary  and  in  that 
way  the  ewes  lambing  can  be  given  better  attention  and  in  the  end 
the  dry  ewes  remain  behind.  Also,  a  given  barn  or  shed  will  accom- 
modate three  or  four  times  as  many  ewes  by  working  them  in  rotation. 
The  drop  band  is  usually  brought  into  the  barn  or  shed  at  night 
and  fed  hay,  although  if  green  feed  is  plentiful  hay  is  not  necessary. 
Sheepmen,  as  a  rule,  prefer  to  delay  hay  feeding  as  long  as  possible 


15 


Fig.  11. — Sheltered  lambing  pens  and  corrals.      Natural  protection  and  drainage 

ideal. 


Fig.    12. — A   brush   corral.       Cheap   and   quite   effective    shelter,    but    not   always 

available. 


16 

as  the  ewes  stop  rustling  and  depend  entirely  on  barn  feeding  after 
it  has  once  begun.  During  stormy  weather  the  ewes  are  brought 
to  the  barn  and  fed  hay.  A  night  man  is  employed  and  when  a 
lamb  is  dropped  the  ewe  and  lamb  are  properly  cared  for.  Twin 
lambs  are  placed  in  small  pens  with  their  mother  for  a  day  or  two, 
while  ewes  with  strong  single  lambs  are  usually  placed  in  pens  with 
other  ewes  that  have  just  lambed. 

During  the  day  the  sheep  are  out  in  the  field,  and  any  ewes  that 
drop  lambs  are  left  until  night  when  they  are  brought  into  the  barn 
and  properly  cared  for.  When  a  ewe  loses  her  lamb  she  is  made  to 
adopt  the  twin  of  another  by  being  confined  in  a  "jail."  When  a 
ewe  has  but  little  milk  for  her  lamb,  the  lamb  is  allowed  to  suck 
another  ewe  that  has  an  abundance  of  milk,  once  a  day  until  the 
lamb  gains  strength. 

The  shepherd  has  many  little  details  to  look  after  at  this  time. 


